


silver bands of promise

by waywardaussies



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M, lashton grew up together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 02:26:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3633258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waywardaussies/pseuds/waywardaussies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“My mom said that when you like someone a lot, you give them a ring.” Luke was too busy staring at the ring, which was reflecting the light from outside the window, and was shining so brightly. Luke not saying anything made Ashton nervous, like he didn’t like the gift. “I-If you don’t want it… that-that’s ok…”</p>
<p>“No! I love it, Ashy. It’s beautiful.” Luke softly took the chain from Ashton, putting it around his neck. “I’m never taking it off.”</p>
<p>~*~</p>
<p>or ashton gives luke a ring 10 years ago and luke has never taken it off</p>
            </blockquote>





	silver bands of promise

**Author's Note:**

> this is a cute one shot that i made for my friend Rosa (lashtoncaustic on tumblr) for her bday! this is basically my little AU theory of what their rings mean :)
> 
> italicized = flashback

Alone in his dressing room, Luke laid on the couch and twirls absentmindedly at his pinkie ring as he stares up at the ceiling. Twirling the ring has become something of a nervous habit he possessed right after 5 Seconds Of Summer made it big. Before that though, it had such great sentimental value. It was (still is) a promise ring given to him by Ashton.

The ring was a thick metallic silver, small-engraved design decorating it. Luke still doesn’t know how Ashton got such a beautiful ring when he was 10, but Luke never questioned it, nor asked the older boy. He just accepted the ring gratefully, and hasn’t taken it off since. He can tell that Ashton is happy that Luke kept the ring, his eyes lighting up and a small secret smile gracing his lips. The fact that no one—not even Michael and Calum—knew what the ring meant gave the two lovers a sense of happiness, having something so precious to them be kept only between them.

~

_Ashton came over on the hottest day in Sydney history. Luke, like the energized 8 year old that he was, jumped off the couch and ran over to the door, opening it before Ashton could knock. Once the door was open, Ashton’s face lit up, his eyes looking at the 8 year old with such love and adoration._

_“Ashy! Come on inside, it’s really hot out!” Luke said, pulling the older boy into the house and shutting the door behind him. The two boys made it to Luke’s room, which was currently littered with clothes and books, all things Luke was too lazy to clean up. “So what do you want to do? You wanna play video game? Watch a movie? We can’t go outside cause mama said it’s way too hot. So we have to play inside!” Ashton just smiled and shook his head, causing Luke to tilt his head in confusion. “What do you want to do then?”_

_“I…uh… wanted to give you something.” Ashton said quietly, fear that the younger boy wouldn’t accept his gift. But like every other child, hearing that they are getting something is like receiving gold. Luke smiled wide, nodding his head at nothing really—maybe it was his energy trying to get some release._

_“What?!”_

_Ashton laughed, loving how the young boy was so eager for his gift. “First, you have to calm down.” Ashton instructed, taking Luke’s hand and going over to the bed to sit down. Luke took a deep breath, trying to calm his small, energized body. When he was a bit better, Ashton continued. “Ok, so I was thinking… I was thinking that I want to be around you forever.”_

_The weight of those words didn’t register with Luke’s young mind. But even though he didn’t fully understand what Ashton was indirectly implying, Luke smiled and nodded. “I want to be around you forever too!”_

_“You do?” Ashton asked, as if he didn’t expect that response from the 8 year old._

_“Of course! You’re my best friend, I want to be with you forever!”_

_It was then that Ashton reached into his pocket and took out the ring. It was hanging off of a chain—Ashton figured that the ring would be too big for Luke at first. He showed Luke the ring on the end of the chain, watching as Luke’s eyes widened in fascination._

_“My mom said that when you like someone a lot, you give them a ring.” Luke was too busy staring at the ring, which was reflecting the light from outside the window, and was shining so brightly. Luke not saying anything made Ashton nervous, like he didn’t like the gift. “I-If you don’t want it… that-that’s ok…”_

_“No! I love it, Ashy. It’s beautiful.” Luke softly took the chain from Ashton, putting it around his neck. “I’m never taking it off.”_

~

“Luke?” The blonde boy turned quickly, seeing Michael standing at the doorway with a questioning look. Luke didn’t even bother to mutter a word, just simply raising one eyebrow. “We’re on in 15 minutes.”

Luke nodded, then went back to his twirling, his eyes glued to the ceiling.

~

_Luke was now 12, and he still had the ring. This time, it was on his ring finger, since it was no longer too big for him. When Ashton first saw Luke wearing it on the ring finger, his faced turned red and he couldn’t stop giggling. Just the fact that Luke was still wearing it after so many years made Ashton so happy._

_The blonde boy was waiting for Ashton to come over so they could play his new FIFA game (Ashton usually didn’t like FIFA, but he always played because Luke loved it) when Liz came into his room, a sad look on her face. Concerned, Luke sat up on his bed, and asked his mother want happened, and why she was so sad._

_“I got a call from Anne… Ashton’s father left them this morning.”_

_Even then, Luke didn’t understand what exactly was going on. All he knew was that Ashton must have been so broken, watching his father pack up and leave them. So, without though, Luke jumped off his bed and threw his shoes on, running out the door towards Ashton’s house. When he got there, he wasn’t sure if he should go through the front door, thinking everyone was too upset to open it. So Luke went around the back, grabbing the ladder the boys put there when Luke was 10, and climbed up to Ashton’s window._

_Just as he expected, Ashton was in his room. But when Luke saw the older boy curled into a ball, sobbing loudly, he got the sudden urge to literally break the window and go into the room to comfort his best friend. Instead of breaking the window, he knocked a few times. Ashton looked up, his eyes swollen and red, and that broke Luke’s heart._

_Ashton did get up to open the window, only to run back into his bed, fear that his legs would give out from all the crying. Luke came into the room, going over to Ashton and putting his arms around the crying boy._

_“It’s ok, I’ve got you. Lukey’s here… it’s ok.” Luke just repeated that over and over again, until he could feel Ashton’s sobs calming down and instead of soul crushing cries, they were small whimpers._

_“It’s my fault.” Ashton whispered after being quiet for so long. Luke was confused, looking down at the boy he was holding._

_“Why do you think that?”_

_Ashton was silent for a moment. “I told my parents something last night, a-and he didn’t take it well.”_

_Luke didn’t want to ask what he told his parents, knowing that that was personal information between him and his parents. But if Ashton believes it caused his father to leave, he wanted to know. “What did you tell them?”_

_The older boy didn’t respond immediately, instead he pulled away slowly from Luke’s arms, looking at the boy with wet eyes. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes—Luke watched as a single tear fell—not opening them as he said, “I’m gay.”_

_The only way Luke knew about that word was when it was used as an insult. He didn’t think people were actually gay, just that it was a negative thing to be called. Luke had a million questions running through his head, but the one obvious one was asked. “What’s that?”_

_“I-It’s when you… you like boys.” Ashton looked like he was about to cry again, but Luke didn’t know why. Did Ashton think Luke would hate him because of this? Because that is not true at all!_

_“How do you know?”_

_“Because I like a boy.” Now Luke wanted to know who this boy was. He wanted to know if this boy liked Ashton back. He wanted to know if the boy would do anything for Ashton, because Ashton deserved only the best. There were so many things Luke wanted to know._

_“Who’s the boy?”_

_Ashton looked at Luke for a long time, making Luke think that time had stopped in general. But the next moment was so quick, that if Luke had blinked, he would have missed everything. Ashton leaned forward quickly, placing his lips on Luke’s, then pulling away as tears filled his eyes again. “You.”_

~

Luke was entering the mindset that he was about to go on stage and do the one thing he loves so much. He got up and walked over to where the mirror was, fixing his hair a bunch of times before he was happy with how it looked. As he looked at his reflection, he could see many different images of himself. The first one he saw was when he was 9, running around the neighborhood with Ashton as they laughed loudly. He could see him meeting Michael and Calum for the first time in freshman year of high school, forming a bond they knew would never be broken. Lastly, he could see Ashton, his bright hazel eyes as he remembers the night Luke finally told the boy he loved him.

~

_It’s been 3 year since Ashton confessed his feelings for Luke. As much as Luke wanted to say that those things didn’t change their friendship, it was obvious that they did. That day, Luke wasn’t mad at Ashton, nor was he disgusted in any way. In reality, he was scared. Because once Ashton’s lips left his, he wanted more. He wanted the older boy’s lips to be on his longer, and maybe even hold him a bit. But Luke was too young to have these feelings; he was too young…_

_The boys didn’t stop talking completely at first, but they stopped hanging out with each other excessively, only calling each other on the weekend—maybe on a Friday, if there was nothing to do. Slowly, but surely, the boys lost touch, and once Luke got into high school, they were afraid to even call each other. But despite their lack of communication, Luke never took off the ring._

_That fact alone showed that Luke still cared about his almost estranged friend. And the more he thought about Ashton, the more those butterflies flew around in his stomach, like when Ashton kissed him. Luke didn’t want to deny it any longer, feeling that if he pushed the thoughts away, he would lose his chance of being happy. He would lose the one best friend he has ever had, and he would lose a person he knew he loved._

_It was that night—Luke was staring down at the ring he now kept on his pinkie finger because it was too small for his ring finger—which Luke decided to call Ashton. The phone resting in his hand as he stared down at the name: “Ashy” with multiple exclamation points and a smiley face. Luke took a breath and hit the call button, waiting for the other boy to pick up._

_“Hello?” the voice said. Luke knew that it was Ashton, but the unrecognizable voice proved that he was older now. It was deep, yet he could still hear a small crack—probably from seeing the caller I.D. name._

_“Hey, it’s uh-Luke.” Why was the younger boy so awkward? He’s talking to a boy he used to have sleepovers with!_

_“Yeah… I figured, from the caller I.D. you know?”_

_“Right, well, I was wondering if you could come over. I-uh… I wanted to talk to you.” Luke’s heart was racing, afraid that Ashton would just say no and hang up, seeing as they haven’t seen each other in a while._

_“Sure, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Then he hung up. Luke didn’t have time to really be shocked, cleaning up his room so it was presentable. After 5 minutes, the doorbell rang. That fact along made Luke’s heart clench; Ashton used to just walk right in, now he feels the need to ring the bell._

_Luke opened the door, looking at the boy he hasn’t seen in months. Ashton definitely grew up, now 17 years old. His face still had a little bit of baby fat, but his jawline was a bit more defined then when Luke saw him last. His hair was in a fringe, covering half of his face, and Luke had the sudden urge to push it away his face to see more of his gorgeous hazel eyes._

_“Hi.” Luke said after a while of staring. Ashton just smiled shortly, walking into the house and following Luke to his room. When they walked in, they made their way over to the bed, sitting down on it as just being silent for a minute. It wasn’t until Luke remembered why he called Ashton that he coughed awkwardly, looking up at the older boy. “I wanted to tell you something.”_

_“You’re still wearing the ring.” Ashton whispered, ignoring Luke’s first statement, and staring down at Luke’s pinkie. Luke looked down at his hand and blushed._

_“That actually… sorta has something to do with what I want to say.” That caused Ashton look up at the boy, his hazel eyes gazing into Luke’s blue ones, and making the younger boy shiver under the intense gaze. “I-I’ve…uh been thinking a lot lately. About you, mostly. But about me as well. And I… I just wanted to tell you… I-uh… I think-no! I know I have feelings for you…”_

_Ashton looked like he was on the verge of tears, but they weren’t tears of what Luke expected. “Don’t…” he muttered, shaking his head as he slowly got up off the bed. “Don’t say that to me, Luke. Not after ignoring me and not talking to me for months! Don’t think you can just say something like that and it be ok!”_

_Luke frantically got up to stand in front of the boy, who was now basically his height. “No no no! Ashton, look, I’m sorry I’ve been a dick. I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you, but I needed to have time to myself to think about this. And after thinking about it for so long, I know I have feelings for you. I like you, Ashton!”_

_“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that to me?!” Ashton cried out, backing away from the younger boy._

_“I know… 3 years is a long time to make up my mind…”_

_“Longer.” Ashton mumbled, his head hung low. Luke didn’t understand, he admitted to having feelings for Luke 3 years ago, what did he mean by “longer”?_

_“Longer?” Luke asked._

_“I’ve liked you since I gave you that ring.” Ashton said, pointing to the ring that hasn’t left Luke’s body since he was 8 years old. The shock hit Luke like a ton of bricks, causing him to stumble back a bit and almost falling down. Ashton has loved him for 7 years?! “Why do you think I gave you that?! That’s a promise ring!”_

_“I didn’t know Ash… But shouldn’t the fact that I haven’t taken it off in 7 years mean anything?! I’ve always had feelings for you; I just didn’t know it until now.” Luke could see Ashton calming down, understanding the words that Luke spoke. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I stopped talking to you. I’m sorry I waited until now to tell you how I feel, but that doesn’t make my words and my feelings any less than yours. I like you a lot, Ashton.”_

_Luke could see Ashton’s eyes water, taking the few steps to stand right in front of the older boy. His hand slowly went up to cup Ashton’s cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the one fallen tear, as he looked into Ashton’s eyes. He leaned forward a bit, but not before whispering softly. “Please don’t cry.”_

_Ashton was the one to close the distance between them, his lips eager to be on Luke’s after so long. And they kissed. Luke felt his insides flip, smiling as he moves his hands into Ashton’s hair, tangling his fingers through the strands of hair. Ashton’s hands were on Luke’s waist, pulling him closer as he deepened the kiss._

_When they pulled away, Luke was smiling so wide, he could feel his face cracking. “Forget what I said before. I don’t like you.” Ashton’s eyes widened in fear, his mouth agape slightly. Luke chuckled as he leaned forward to kiss Ashton again, this time shorter. He pulled away again, his forehead against Ashton’s. “I love you.”_

_Ashton’s fear washed away as he smiled, a blush gracing his cheeks. “I love you too.”_

~

The boys were all standing backstage, instruments in tow, as they listened to the crowd chant their name. Luke could feel his fingers move anxiously, only to be calmed down when he feels hands wrap around his own. He looked up to find his boyfriend smiling at him. Ashton’s eyes were as bright as ever as he looked (up) at Luke with fond-filled eyes.

“Relax babe, you always get nervous when you know you’re going to be amazing.”

“I don’t know that.” Luke teased, leaning forward to steal a kiss before they had to go on.

“Ok, love birds, can you save the kissing for after the show?” Michael says as Calum makes fake gagging noises next to him. The boyfriends just laugh, kissing once more before Ashton goes on stage first, then Michael, then Luke, then Calum. And they perform.

They perform a killer show (like always) and are getting ready to play their last song. That is, until Ashton starts talking.

“Hey guys, mind if I come up for a minute?” the crowd cheers as Ashton leaves the drum set and comes to the front of the stage. Michael and Calum give knowing looks, but Luke is oh-so clueless.

“Ash… what are you doing?” Luke asked, confused about what is going on. Ashton ignores him, grabbing Luke’s mic and beginning to talk.

“Lucas Robert Hemmings, we have been best friends for-like-ever! I remember the day I gave you that ring you are wearing right now on your pinkie. The ring you haven’t taken off since.” Luke looks down at the ring and smiles fondly. “I remember our first kiss, then our first real kiss. I remember all the dates we’ve been on. Like the time you tried to be suave but ended up screwing up the entire date. But it didn’t matter, cause it was with you, and that’s a perfect date in itself.

“I’ve been in love with you since I was 10 years old. Now, I’m nearly 21 and I can say with so much certainty that I have never stopped loving you. Even when we didn’t talk for 3 years, I still loved you with all my heart. And it’s because of this that…” Ashton reaches into his pocket and pulls out a silver ring, much like the one Luke is wearing now. Luke could feel his heart stop. “My mom once told me that when you like someone a lot, you give them a ring.”

“Ashton… W-What…?”

“I know what you’re thinking. No, this isn’t a proposal, because you’re still 18 and getting married now would be really weird, if you know what I mean.” Luke let out a laugh, eyes wet from tears that are streaming down his face. “But since you’ve had that promise ring for 10 years, I thought I would renew our ‘promise vow’.” Ashton gently took Luke’s hand, putting the ring at the tip of Luke’s ring finger, right next to the old promise ring. “So, I was thinking that I wanted to be around you forever. So Luke, would you promise to be around me forever?”

Luke couldn’t stop crying, his eyes glassed over from tears. But he managed to nod his head, smiling widely. “Of course! You’re my best friend, I want to be with you forever!”

Ashton smiled, sliding the ring onto Luke’s finger, laughing as he heard the crowd cheer and shout. He leaned forward to give Luke a kiss, wrapping his arms around Luke’s neck, as Luke put his hands on Ashton’s waist. When they pulled away, Luke was smiling, looking down at his two rings, both of which promised a life together with Ashton.

Luke then looked at Ashton and smiled softly. “It’s beautiful. I’m never taking it off.”


End file.
